Soft sided coolers

[jrvs23]

I was walking through "wally" today  (a rare thing) and saw all the new ozark trail roto molded and soft coolers. They had everything from 24 can soft with easy access hatch, backpack, 48 soft, several hard coolers. Started at $38 and went up from there. Man the hard coolers are crazy heavy! The zippers on the soft are pretty difficult to move, but the small soft had a velcro easy hatch the would be nice. I will probably try one of those. Not what I started off looking at but I can't see spending a few hundred on a cooler. I think I would rather spend that coin on a new stereo system! 

[LS1boarder]

I ordered the RTIC 40 from that sale, and it came today! Wow, that's a nice cooler! I had a Yeti before and it didn't match the new boat so I sold it, this seems to be just as good in the quality dept. 

[isellacuras]

I ordered an Rtic 30. Looking forward to it getting here.  

[thejean]

Hey guys, I am looking for a cooler that can fit in the stock space in a 2013 LSV. Any suggestions? What models of AO and Yeti will fit in the stock location? This is the one I am currently looking at but no idea if it's any good or not:

https://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=1103

[nlouthan]

I have the older version of the Malibu cooler and it's not that great.  The new one might be better.  Here's the AO that fits:  https://www.aocoolers.com/coolers/canvas-series/38-pack-stow-n-go-cooler-black.html

[thejean]

30 minutes ago, nlouthan said:

I have the older version of the Malibu cooler and it's not that great.  The new one might be better.  Here's the AO that fits:  https://www.aocoolers.com/coolers/canvas-series/38-pack-stow-n-go-cooler-black.html

Thanks! And yeah, the Bakes advert says that they now have more insulation to keep things cooler longer. I like the Malibu logo on it so would pay the extra $10 if it was as good as the AO. 

[Cole2001]

Anyone know of a soft sided one with wheels? Preferably in Canada. We had one from costco but the wheels broke and they don't carry them anymore. 

[isellacuras]

1 hour ago, thejean said:

Thanks! And yeah, the Bakes advert says that they now have more insulation to keep things cooler longer. I like the Malibu logo on it so would pay the extra $10 if it was as good as the AO. 

I use my factory cooler a little different than it was prolly intended. For a day trip i freeze a few water bottles and load those and my drinks in the bottom of the plastic cooler. I can get two layers (one layer works better), about 10-15 lbs of ice and still have room for the cooler on top. I put all my dry stuff, like sandwiches, string cheese, fruit and that kind of stuff in the cooler bag. The bag insulates the plastic cooler a bit and I'm able to keep ice in the cooler for most of the day on a HOT Nor Cal day. At the end of the day, the ice may be gone but the drinks are still cold. The frozen bottles help a lot too. When I get home and clean out the boat, I use the bag to load all the remaining drinks to carry them inside. Works well for me.  

[Bill_AirJunky]

10 hours ago, thejean said:

Hey guys, I am looking for a cooler that can fit in the stock space in a 2013 LSV. Any suggestions? What models of AO and Yeti will fit in the stock location? This is the one I am currently looking at but no idea if it's any good or not:

https://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=1103

Don't waste your money on that cooler. The first one I had lasted only one year before it literally fell apart. Cheap Chinese crap. The weight of the drinks & the melted ice destroyed it. 

The second one I had lasted a few years by not filling it with ice. The water really weakens it. Freezing some of the bottles first worked for me. Keeps it all cold & dry, which made the cooler survive longer.

The AO in the same shape is way better. Mine is 3 or 4 yrs old now & stil in good shape. Keeps things cold longer, easily repaired liner, much better quality.

Oh, and don't put crushed cans or bottle caps in the soft coolers. They tend to rip the liner & then water will get inside it.

Edited April 28, 2017 by Bill_AirJunky

[minnmarker]

8 hours ago, Bill_AirJunky said:

Don't waste your money on that cooler. The first one I had lasted only one year before it literally fell apart. Cheap Chinese crap. The weight of the drinks & the melted ice destroyed it. 

The second one I had lasted a few years by not filling it with ice. The water really weakens it. Freezing some of the bottles first worked for me. Keeps it all cold & dry, which made the cooler survive longer.

The AO in the same shape is way better. Mine is 3 or 4 yrs old now & stil in good shape. Keeps things cold longer, easily repaired liner, much better quality.

Oh, and don't put crushed cans or bottle caps in the soft coolers. They tend to rip the liner & then water will get inside it.

This one:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030J017U/

[Bill_AirJunky]

And if you go thru AO, you can get it embroidered on the top.

https://www.aocoolers.com/coolers/stow-n-go.html

[thejean]

Thanks guys! So I found the "Malibu Boats" embroidered one on the Malibu Accessory website for 95 plus 25 shipping to Canada, which will be nearly 200 Canadian after exchange and brokerage fees. 

On the other hand, I found the same AO without the logo here in Canada for 120 CAD with free shipping. 

Man, I really wanted an embroidered one but not sure it's worth the extra 80 bucks. 

Edit: Update - ordered the one without the logo as it was cheaper and will be here before the maiden voyage! 

Edited April 29, 2017 by thejean

[7lazy77]

On 3/25/2017 at 1:23 PM, Lees23 said:

I have 3 Polar Bear brand coolers and have been impressed so far.  I believe one is a 24 pack H20 series and the other 2 are 18 pack Solar Bear backpack coolers(they were 2 for one over Christmas). They seem very well built and have a ton of insulation.  I have found buying a big soft sided cooler can be a pain because they are too heavy when loaded full to carry easily.  I am pretty excited about using the back pack coolers this summer. 

 

http://www.polarbearcoolers.com/

 

 

I agree on the Polar Bear!  Have one now that has taken a beating & has held up well.  Keeps ice for a long time at a fraction of the cost of a Yeti.

[REHinH20]

My AO has held up for 3 seasons now, but since we are in hot TX sun mostly, I start with a block of ice ( I make it in a silicone bundt cake pan) this keeps the cube ice from melting, and drinks stay cold 2 days.  Since I have less melt, i have less water to weaken the seams.  OR it could just be a really well constructed cooler.